Chapter Text
Stiles sat in the back of the class, head down and trying to finish up his Chemistry homework while people filed into the classroom around him.
It wasn’t the first college class he’d taken at the local community college, but it was still rather jarring to be in class with people so much older than he was.
“Should I be worried that you’re already halfway through that book?” A smooth voice asked to his right and Stiles looked over to see a young man, definitely older than him, but looked like he could be close in age, taking a seat one away from him.
The man smiled at him with soft hazel eyes and Stiles felt his ears start to heat up.
He definitely wasn’t used to people as pretty as this talking to him, or willingly sitting so close to him.
“It’s my chemistry homework, I’m a senior at Beacon High.” Stiles told him honestly, waiting for the man to grimace and leave him alone but instead the man’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“You’re taking college courses while you’re still in high school? I don’t think I’m smart enough to know that was an option.” The other joked with a bright warm laugh that made the blush on Stiles ears spread down to his cheeks.
He quickly looked back at the book, suppressing his own smile.
“My guidance counsellor set it up last year. She said it would look really good on my College applications.”
He looked up to see the man smiling in his direction again.
“I’m Derek.” A hand was held out towards him, and Stiles couldn’t help but smile wide.
It had been a really long time since he’d had a friend.
“I’m Stiles.”
It was almost effortless to fall into a rhythm where Derek would slide into the seat next to him, give him a wide grin, and start a conversation until their teacher came in.
After the third class, Derek asked if he wanted to study over milkshakes when they were leaving.
Then pizza, then coffee, and by the 4th or 5th time they were sitting across the table from each other, Stiles realized they hadn’t even brought their books in with them.
“Derek, is this a date?” Stiles asked as Derek walked him to his car at the end of the night. He watched, even under the dimly lit parking lot as Derek’s face turned bright red before he ducked it down so Stiles couldn’t see.
“I- Uh- You turn 18 in April, right? Once you are- Then um-”
Something soft and fond melted into Stiles’s chest. Something he hadn’t felt before but felt like warmth and his and oh so good. He leaned over quickly, pressing his lips to Derek’s still ducked cheek before he could think otherwise.
“I turned 18 last April.” He concluded as he straightened back up and headed to his jeep. When he slid into the seat, he found Derek looking at him, his own hand pressed to where Stiles had kissed. “If you asked me to be your boyfriend, I’d say yes.” Stiles whispered into the night, like a secret between them, before he started up the jeep and sent Derek one final longing look before driving home.
Although his good mood didn’t last long as he arrived home to find his father’s cruiser and his stepmother’s SUV in the drive. He didn’t see his stepbrother’s bike and figured that Scott was probably still out for the night. As he entered the house, he heard the sound of the TV pausing and muffled conversation cutting off as he walked past the Living room. He glanced in to see his father staring directly at him with angry eyes.
“Where have you been all night?” He demanded. Stiles glanced over at the clock on the wall to make sure he wasn’t outside of his curfew and furrowed his brows slightly.
“I had dinner with a friend after school” Stiles told his father as he hiked his backpack up higher on his shoulder feeling suddenly like he needed to hide under his father’s scrutiny.
“Dinner after school? It’s 10:00 PM. What the hell were you doing between after school and dinner that you didn't think that you needed to let me know where you were.” His father was starting to sound like he was gearing up for a fight, and Stiles didn’t have the energy to match him. Not when he was still riding the high of finding out that Derek probably liked him.
Or when arguing would mean realizing that his own father didn’t know he had night classes from 5-7pm every day.
“My curfew isn't until 11. I didn’t know that you needed to know my every whereabout, if you want me to text you the next time I’m having dinner with a friend, I will.” Stiles stared at his father and his stepmother waiting for any sort of reply, but as he saw his father’s face begin to turn a more vibrant shade of red, he knew he had to end it quick, lest he be stuck there arguing all night. “Where’s Scott?” he asked, a faux oblivious attitude, looking around the room animatedly before looking back to both adults almost daring them to say anything.
Because while Stiles curfew was 11, Scott’s was still only 10. Though, the change was really only due to hearing his father and stepmother promise Scott that his curfew would be 11 on school night’s when he turned 18 every time he whined about it being 10. So the moment he turned 18, he announced his 11pm curfew, per the rules they set up and left the room before they could argue with him or try to fake apologize for forgetting his 18th birthday.
He didn’t wait for their reply before he turned away and trudged up the stairs towards his room. He began to work on his homework that he didn’t do with Derek, periodically listening to his father and stepmother talk downstairs about his disrespect and delinquent behavior. It’s not even that he didn’t like his stepmother, Melissa, honestly, she was fine, and he didn’t mind her that much. Mostly they stayed out of each other’s way.
The only thing he really cared about wasn’t even really her fault, it was the fact that as soon as Melissa and Scott came into their lives he felt like his father didn’t care about him anymore. He still remembered a time when he was little, before his mom died, that he and his mother and father were as close as a family could be. He remembers when Scott was his best friend, and Melissa was the nice lady who put band aids on his knees when he scrapped them up playing with Scott in the backyard.
Then his mother died when he was 9, and everything fell apart.
It took two years before his father started dating Melissa and then no time after that for his father to move them in and force them to play the part of a happy family.
It wasn’t until around 11:45 that Stiles heard Scott arrive home. He listened as Scott called his greetings to his mom and stepfather. He listened closely as the other came up the stairs immediately and wasn’t stopped for questions about where he had been or about why he missed curfew. There was no yelling, no screaming, and Stiles just sighed at his desk before returning to his homework. He didn’t have any urge to say anything to the other as he passed his room.
It had been a long time since the two of them had an actual conversation. They were on different sides of the social world, which felt ridiculous in the grand scheme of things, but in Highschool it seemed to be the only thing mattered to most people.
Scott was a first-string athlete and Stiles was a nerd. There was very little crossover.
The ping of Stiles’ phone pulled him out of his thoughts and had him smiling once again as he read the message.
Derek
This semester might be the first time in my entire life that I actually look forward to being in class.
He spent far too much time after that texting back and forth with Derek, his head up in the clouds, with not even a single thought on his family.
Walking into class, Stiles felt butterflies. It had nothing to do with the quiz they were taking and everything to do with the pretty solid assumption that Derek Hale, 21-year-old walking daydream with grumpy eyebrows and a laugh that people could write poems about, liked him.
Stiles was pretty sure those butterflies he had must have been lifting him up, because he felt like he was floating.
He slid into his normal seat and forced himself to look at his notes, not reading a single word as his ears were trained on the door, eyes glancing over at it at each little sound.
When Derek walked in, Stiles couldn’t help but look up, eyes instantly connecting with Derek’s hazel ones. Derek moved towards him like a man on a mission and slid into the seat, leaving only a few inches between their chairs.
“Hi Derek.” Stiles whispered while Derek set his things down, eyes locked onto his own.
“Hi Stiles.” Derek’s voice seemed deeper as he murmured softly, and Stiles felt a shiver run up his spine.
They stared at each other in silence for a few moments before Derek took a deep breath and squared his shoulders.
“I was hoping maybe I could take you to my house for dinner tomorrow night. I’m close to my family and it’s important that they like the person I’m with. Not that we’re together yet- Or that they won’t like you! But- you know- I just-” Stiles watched Derek’s ears turn red as the other stumbled over his speech in a ramble, like he couldn’t stop, but plowed on, shoulders rounding the longer he talked.
Stiles smiled, soft and just for him, cutting Derek off mid word when he reached both his hands out to capture one of Derek’s. He didn’t quite understand where he was coming from, because he honestly didn’t care if his father, Melissa, or Scott liked Derek. It might actually be a point in his favor if they hated him, but, if he thought hard about it, he imagined he would have wanted his mom to like him.
“I’d love to meet your family.” He promised, hoping that their opinion of him wouldn’t be so bad that Derek didn’t want to continue seeing him.
Derek beamed at him, and Stiles felt his nerves settle just a little bit.
“Should I pick you up at your house?” He asked, leaning forward in his chair slightly like an excited puppy.
Stiles could almost see the tail wagging and laughed to himself before sobering up a little bit and shifting uncomfortably.
“I’ll just drive there myself. Or we can meet here instead. Maybe halfway.”
Derek’s smile dropped and he looked over Stiles’ body like he was trying to figure something out.
“Are you sure?” Stiles nodded his head and gave a weak smile.
“So, does this count as a date?” He questioned, changing to subject when he saw Derek’s eyebrows crinkle together like they often did when he didn’t understand something.
Stiles watched as he stared at him for a moment longer before smiling a little shy and a little hesitant. Like he knew Stiles was trying to divert the conversation but also was letting him have it, which Stiles was immensely thankful for.
He didn’t really know how to describe his own family situation.
“How lame would I be if our first official date was me taking you to meet my family?” Derek joked and then grimaced hard. “Oh God, I sound deranged.” He said lowly to himself, and Stiles laughed hard enough that the few other people early for the class twisted around to give him annoyed glances.
“How about we get dinner tonight at the diner and that be our first official date? Then tomorrow can be our second and you’ll be slightly less deranged.” Stiles suggested with a quip of his lip to show his teasing.
Derek’s eyes brightened in a mischievous glint.
“My my Stiles, asking me on a date, how forward of you. I might have to think about it.”
Stiles felt his face go up in flames and shoved at the others chest with a hissed-out demand for his silence.
He was saved from more of Derek’s dumb perfect laugh by the teacher walking in and getting class started.
Stiles allowed himself a single minute to close his eyes and silently freak out inside his head once the quiz had been laid out before he focused and worked through the questions quickly and easily.
As smitten as he may be with the cute boy, school was still important to him. Making a life for himself, one that was his, and one he could be proud of, whether there were people there to care about it or not. That’s what was really important to him.
Though, a small little spark of hope inside him thought Derek could be a part of the life he made for himself too.
Hours later, laughing over burgers at the diner they’d been to more than a handful of times with a waitress who knew their order by heart, Stiles felt like no matter what happened, it would all work out.